Among all my hams, she is the lazy one. I give her 21cm Sanko wheel to run, but she never touch it. I give her some toys to play, she never play with them.I put her into running wheel to run around in the house, she sit there sleepily in her running ball haha I am out of option. I don’t really want to force her into anything that she don’t want to do.

So here she is, my round little cream-puff, so peaceful, hmmmm what a life

On 12 th of January 2012, I excitedly travelling to East side of Singapore to pick up my baby girl Phoebe.

I adopt her from fellow peep of Singapore Hamster Club. She and most of her siblings are successfully adopt out to good homes. They all very adorable and cute. After Scabber (my first Syrian boy) I decided to adopt a baby girl as new experience for me. She is very playful, beautiful and shy. She really love her running ball and love to eat peanut and broccoli. She was born on 9 th of December, one day before my birthday. We can celebrate birthday together every year from now.

I name her after Phoebe Buffay from Friends, weird and funny, one of my fav character on TV. I collect the whole series of Friends and repetitively watch them from times to times, so I was like why not name my hamsters after the characters. So, here she is , my own little Phoebe LOL

This is her first ride in a car, very curious of her surrounding and me .

Then she settle in her new home and act adorable. Love her green foods *kisses*

Then she make a cool and cozy nest.

Look how adorable she is haha. She is a sweetheart. I hope she will grow up into big and healthy girl.

Its all started with my greedy little Ke Ke, who stuff way too many foods in her cheek pouch .

Only a few day before new year, I start to notice her cheek pouch have a lot of food. First I thought she will clean out her pouch later in her hideout. But on monday (31.12.2012) its been 2 whole day and she still have big pouches, especially in her left side. I begin to worry and want to book appointment for her tomorrow, but its 1.1.2013 and all clinics are close. I have to wait one more day to bring her to the vet.

Finally on 2.1.2013 morning, I brought her to see the doc. He confirm impacted cheek pouch and also said her teeth are quite long now.

After the general check up, he start to gouge out the food with scissor like tool, then even help her push out the food. He clipped her front teeth, told me that one of her teeth is missing. Ooops, I don’t even notice that she lost her teeth. Finally end with antiseptic mouth wash . The total damage is $98 .

He give her painkiller, antibiotics and more mouth wash.She can barely move on the way back and sleeping like a little angle the whole day. I was worried that at her age, all the procedures, stress and drug maybe too much of her to handle. But she is a really tough girl, hate the drug though lol. Raise a lots of racket while forcing her to take her drug. But she is doing very well now and surprisingly active once the drug wear off .

Wahh, what an adventure. I am so glad that its just foods in her pouch, not tumor or any abnormalities and kudos to me-self for notice it earlier and bring her to vet before too late 😀

Now I move her into Ferplast Mini Duna with simple basic set up, smaller space so easy for her to move around and access to water and food.Clear out and clean her old tank to welcome one more baby girl.

My last one standing A.K.A , my lonely girl Ke Ke’s foods are all gone, so I need to go food shopping for her. The only problem I am facing is as she is the only kid right now, the food consumption is extremely slow. I throw away last batch of foods because they start to smell funny. I can’t buy a lots of foods and mix together like last time, so I decided to buy tiny batch of foods for her. After loitering around the food aisle for like 20 minutes, I finally pick up 300g pkg of Vitakraft Emotion Functional Sensitive. Then I pick up a few organic seeds at NTUC. So, here it goes…

Vitakraft Emotion Functional Sensitive,

As per packaging and vitakraft website ( Warning: Funny english ahead, presented by google translator)

Delicious vegetables, delicious fruits and protein rich shrimp are combined with extrudates, who all through high quality ingredients have a positive effect on the animals. A special manufacturing process ensures that the information contained in the bodies lining thickness is already open. It also reduces a natural ingredient combination of excrement and urine odor in hamster home. A food for the most demanding!

Extra Care: Without sharp chuck body

Odour Stop: With anti-odor complex

Hair: high-quality vegetable oils for a shiny coat

Protein: With high-quality animal protein from shrimp

For food sensitive hamster

Functional blend the latest scientific findings

Developed by veterinarians and rodent experts

Arthritis, high quality, balanced

With minerals and natural vitamins

Sugar-free recipe

No artificial flavors

No artificial preservatives

Fresh flavor packed

Immune Acitvism: Aloe Vera Gel strengthens the immune system

Calcium Phosphorous optimized

Content: 300 g

Composition

Cereals

Vegetable by-products

Vegetables 15.5%

Fruits 6%

Nuts

Molluscs(I always use the word mollusks,easier to spell) and crustaceans (shrimp, dried 1.5%)

I guess she like it, hell! she like all kind of food anyway LOL. She eat whatever I put in her bowl although always want to ask for more meal worm when I go near her. Whenever she make a goofy face and stand up on her leg , I melted and give her a few meal worm, now she know how to manipulate me 😀 She did love to eat peanuts and color pieces.

Me?

I also love it, its smell great and very fresh. She eat almost all of the ingredients except from those grass stick, so its good for her. Lots of flower hip, which are quite rare in other brand of food and 300 g small pkg is just nice for one hammy to eat up. Some of the green round color pieces are very big( look like some sort of dry veggie ball), maybe ok for Syrian hammy but quite big for a dwarfie to dig in. Overall I give 8/10 .

I also bought white sesame seeds and golden flax seed from NTUC organic aisle and new container for them.

Since I was a kid, I always have pets around me. Cats mostly, because I am a cat person. When it comes to life and death, I can never take things lightly, at the end I always left with tears and heavy heart. My family is deeply aware of that, always warn me not to have any more pets since I can’t let go easily. And mortality left nothing behind. Deep down I know we all die one day, I am not afraid of death but the suffering itself and process of going through.

When I decided to keep hamsters, my sister jokingly warn me ” I don’t mind living with pets, if you can take care of them, its ok. But don’t cry when they gone ya” I said ” I will care for them the best I can, so when the time comes, there will be no regrets, no sadness” I can’t believe what I spruce was all bullshit. Damn!

My little Scabber passed away on the evening of 24 th July. It was a bright and sunny day, I was working the whole day and come back very late in the evening. When I reach home, the first thing in my mind is food. While I eating, I decided to go and check on my hamsters since they are in my eyesight. I can see that Scabber is sleeping, unmoving and very still maybe unnaturally so, in his favorite sleeping spot behind his running wheel. I am still holding my bowl and eating, but something snap inside of me and I know that he already left me in his slumber. I prepare to bury him after that, when I take him out he look so very peaceful like he is still sleeping. His death come very sudden to me, he have no prior illness, no sign, no nothing to suggest of his ending, yes he is slowing down and showing sign of old age but in my feign ignorance I always though he is going to live at least one or two more years. We buried him in the grass field under the Mahogany tree. Saying goodbye is hard, but I can make peace with his death. He left so sudden, but in such peace. My brother empathically said he when his time comes he want to go in peace like Scabber. I couldn’t agreed more, he will always be my little Scabber, lazy , skittish boy with adorable face who really love to eat my hand grown wheat grass. Rest in peace Scabber.

Not long after Scabber was gone, I notice that my little girl De De is acting weird, getting smaller, squeaking a little . I am not sure what to do, while I check her body, beside from her messy hair and frail body, she seem fine. Playing, running, eating as normal. One morning I wake up, and to my horror, I start to notice lump near her hind leg just below her tummy. I quickly tried to check up on clinic lists and locations, finally found one at Yishun, not very far from my home and have good reputations. At that first weekend of August, I bring her to the doctor, in 3 days her lump is quickly getting bigger. The doctor diagnose her lump as cancer tumor, the worse new ever 😦 The doctor give me two options 1st have operation procedure on her, although have very thin chance due to her age, and the place of the tumor. 2nd leave her in peace, bring her home, let her eat and play as much as she want, maybe she will go peacefully by herself, maybe not. I was so devastated, all I can answer is I don’t want her to suffer. Then he advice me to bring her back to her place, let her eat and live as much as she want. When the time come, when she is suffering, bring her back to him, he will ease the pain. I did decided to bring her back. The whole time I was in dilemma , so scare that I’ve made wrong decision for her. My family,mainly my mom ,strongly advice me not to bent and have procedure on such a tiny little thing. I know she have such a distaste for extreme medical procedure, I remember she use to say “I rather go peacefully than probe and prick by doctors and those medical toys”.But what can I do? Life comes in many forms, to each it own. I feel sad that she have to suffer like that, but at the same time very endearing because she is such a brave little girl and full of life and energy. Visibly slowing down but she still eat her favourite food passionately, walk around in her tank which I redecorate for her to be more confortable and convenient for her. I have to take out her running wheel, change her food bowl to shallow one, add in one extra water bottle and thick layer of bedding for her comfort. She did live for one more month, first we are making oooh ahhhh sound whenever she show some kind of strenght like grab the pine nut with vigor or eat her meal worm passionately. But slowly as her condition deteriorate , she is having more struggle than energy, more like a chore than eating a tiny piece of food, just lying there breathless than walking. One day after I clean up her tank, and looking at her painfully lying in heap of bedding , carry the big burden of her body, looking at me with her tiny little black eyes, I have a breakdown , I don’t want to deal with it but I have to, crying help nothing. My borther told me, why waiting for her to suffer more and more to go. On 8 th of September I bring her to the vet and put her to sleep, I cried right outside of the door while she was inside. I tell myself that I did the right thing, hell! the doctor himself said that I am doing the right thing at the right time, but I was so angry that I have to let her go just like that, so sad that she have to go like that.

I bring her back home, at the same evening I buried her just beside Scabber’s resting place in the grass field. Life full of regrets, but I will never regret for having three little hamsters that bring so many joys to my life. Rest in peace De De.

Harold is a little boy (actually not very little in size) who will melt your heart with very adorable and very innocent face.

He is like a cuddly fuzzy teddy bear .

He is a lazy boy who spent half of his day sleeping and another half sitting on his big butt dozing off in a coner .

He love to pick his food and left behind not so yummy pieces.

He can snatch pine nut very quickly from my hand and gulp it down very fast.

He is the little boy that under my care from 25th February to 16th April and the one who left behind tiny foot prints in my heart.

I paid him too much attention even Scabber get a bit jealous haha

When Harold’s mommy have to travel to abroad , I decided to help her out and take care of him for as long as necessary . This may be one of the best decision I ever make . Harold is a cinnamon banded syrian and a very pretty boy. He is a little bit skittish but not untame. He love to eat nuts and cracker, hate to run on his wheel . Every time I look down at him , he will look at me with big innocent curious eyes . When his mommy dearest come and pick him up at the night of April 16 th , she bring lots of chocolates for me, a Long Champ bag that I ask her to help me buy and lots of yummy treats for my 3 furballs . I missed him for days after that , however chocolate and new tote bag make me feel better LOLOL

These are my photo memory of him , just being him and adorable .

Very rare pic on the wheel.

Playing hide-n-seek.

On his logs hideout, this is his fav place to sit.

Sleeping in sand bath

His big butt

I will miss him, but he is back in his home with his mommy dearest . I am lucky to have him with me for 8 weeks , and spent time with him. I still have my three little brats to take care of . I love the idea of boarding other hammy but hate the idea of parting with them when the time is up . Hmmmm~~~~

For a hamsters owner, the topics of bedding or sand never fail to capture my interest.

But unlike the Foods Topics, the bedding and sand is more concern than interest. I am always checking for cheaper, better and safer supplies. I am very choosy too. Even though the odor control is very good and cheapest in the market ( hamster safe bedding brands) I don’t really like recycle paper bedding like Back2Nature,BreederCelect,Daily Scoop etc , not very comfy .I also don’t like those corn cobs bedding, too hard,bad odor control and potential risk of growing mold and fungus. After deducting unsafe bedding like wood shavings , Scented Granules etc, the choice become some what limited.

I become extremely friendly with the brand named Healthy Pets lately.

I decided to stock up on my bedding and sand so that I don’t need to worry about them for at least 6 months.

Since I am fed up with Healthy Pet Ultra and loving the Healthy Pet Grey, I ordered 4 bags of 30l Healthy Pet Grey along with 2 bags of Color Bedding . Color bedding is purely impulsive buying , hope it will brighten up my babies’ home 🙂

I got six packs LOL I mean six cartoons of Charlie (don’t-know-who-that-guy-is) Bathing Sand too

Now I don’t need to worry about supplies for at least 6 months ,hopefully they don’t dirty up the tanks and their bathing place too much . Finger crossed 😛

So far love both. I like texture of grey bedding , it make great nesting material and good for burrowing too. Surprisingly soft and give warm fluffy feeling. Great value for money. SS sand is wee bit finer than Vitakraft sand( I have been using Vitakraft Sand as long as I can remember) , easy to shelf and pour because of the convenient packaging.

Start from this weekend tanks cleaning, I use Healthy Pet Grey for De De & Ke Ke’s tank. Scabber still using HPU ( the last of the bag ) . SS sand for all of them. Both doing great, De& Ke love to dig and burrow in their new bedding, in fact I notice that they dig and treasure hunt even with this new bedding.